My story

     I’m in my bed peacefully sleeping, I suddenly awake unable to breathe.  Sitting up I’m violently choking, my head  twitching out of control, I reach for my covers.  That evenings news story plays over again in my head, about a man who escaped from the prison only 30 miles from our home. I am horrified; I just know the prisoner is in my room strangling me. Finally I stop, I just stop, I can breathe and my body is no longer twitching. The entire incident went on for 1 minute or less, yet I felt like I was in captivity for hours. I look around, no one is in my room, I am all alone. Afraid, I lie back down; I am exhausted and lay awake no longer than a minute.
I have Epilepsy.  My body seizes, and loses control. This has been a thorn in my side for almost 30 years. Medication has kept me secure and safe for a majority of that time.  In 2009, however, my life began to change.
 August of 2008 until November of 2009 I worked with a company that required me to drive the majority of the time and I was driving children.  I was doing social work, and was transporting children from their foster homes to family visits. One morning on the way to work a seizure broke through.  I knew it was about to happen, I was overcome with fear and I remember screaming for Jesus.  I screamed “Jesus help me, I’m sorry, please help me.” Next I hear a horn honking, I awaken and pulled my vehicle into the median strip.  I’m not sure if someone saw that I was passed out or if I almost hit someone, but I was honked at, and am so grateful for that person. Sitting on the middle of the freeway, I wasn’t sure if I should continue to work, or head back home, I continued on to work. I worked for the next 7 days with no incident.  Deep in my heart I knew the right thing to do was to let go of my job.  I feared that if I had a seizure while driving and a child was with me, I would never be
 able to forgive myself if something happened to them or anyone else.  So I said goodbye.  The next 6 months began a strenuous course of applying for disability and going to my neurologist, trying to find out why the break through seizure had occurred and how to stop another one

What you just read is only a portion of chapter one of a book I have been writing for several years about my life with seizures.  Keep me in your prayers as I strive to finish soon and very soon...